Environmental experts urge Lango to protect environment amid rising climate risks

27 January 2026, 3:43 pm

By Agness Agilo

Environmental experts have expressed worries over threats caused by environmental degradation due to human activities.

To mitigate the vice, Leonard Otika, the Lira city environment officer has called on the people of Lango to abandon destructive practices such as tree cutting, building in wetlands, and bush burning to safeguard the environment.

He warned that the ongoing destruction of natural resources is a major driver of the extreme and unpredictable weather currently affecting the country.

“Environmental destruction is now the biggest cause of the unstable weather Uganda is experiencing,” Otika said. “Farmers no longer know when to plant or harvest, posing a real threat of hunger.

Otika urged households to adopt energy-efficient cooking methods that reduce reliance on firewood and charcoal, pointing out that charcoal burning remains a leading cause of deforestation.

“If we want to save our forests, we must reduce dependence on firewood. Gas and improved energy-saving stoves are the way forward, but gas must be affordable and accessible to all Ugandans,” he said.

He also proposed that the government explore ways to produce cheaper gas using urban waste, which could benefit both rural and urban communities. He condemned investors building factories in wetlands, linking such practices to recurring floods that destroy homes, crops, and livelihoods.

The environment officer called for collective action from both the government and citizens to restore and protect Uganda’s environment, warning that failure to act could result in even more severe climate-related disasters.

The acting Environment Officer of Lira district local government, Walter Ocen, explained that in spite of the dry season, the current temperatures have risen to 30 degree Celsius which is beyond the recommended body temperature of 27 degree Celsius due to human activities such as wetland degradation, deforestation, burning fossils among others.

Ocen expressed worries that if the trend continues, it will greatly affect the environment. He warned the people of Lango to desist from activities which are negatively impacting the environment noting that in the past, the dry season would take a shorter period but due to environmental degradation, it is prolonged with unbearable temperatures.

Ocen strongly urged for environmental conservation through tree planting, wetland preservation and proper disposal of plastic wastes among others.

Meanwhile, Bosco Twontoo,the clan head of Okii me Okabo recently rallied Lango to embrace activities which restores the environment including ; tree planting to restore the lost forest cover to improve the ecological systems of the environment.

With the initiatives by Environmental exerts and other stakeholders in controlling environmental degradation, there is hope that the rising harsh weather conditions and other environmental hazards largely attributed to human activities will be mitigated.